


Forever I Will Love You

by phoenixquest



Category: Dragon Age II
Genre: Endgame, F/M, Fluff, Happy Ending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-05
Updated: 2015-02-05
Packaged: 2018-03-10 15:58:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,172
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3296258
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/phoenixquest/pseuds/phoenixquest
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Endgame scene with female Hawke who friendmanced Anders. Hawke's supportive, and Anders doesn't quite know what to do with it. Endgame spoilers, obviously.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Forever I Will Love You

“I will leave your…friend for you to deal with,” Orsino muttered to Hawke, glaring at Anders. “I must return to the Gallows. Meet me there as soon as you can.” He strode off, and Hawke didn’t reply. She sighed heavily, hurt and upset and confused, and walked over to stand behind Anders as he sat on a crate nearby. He wouldn’t look at her, but he began to speak.

“There’s nothing you can say that I haven’t already said to myself. I took a spirit into my soul and changed myself forever to achieve this. This is the justice all mages have awaited.” It sounded almost practiced.

“Did that spirit tell you to do this?” Hawke asked, unable to stop the question. So many things she wanted to say, felt like she ought to say, but that’s what came out. Figures.

“No,” Anders replied. “When we merged, he ceased to be. We are one now. I can no more ignore the injustice of the Circle than he could.” Hawke paused, considering this.

“I might have understood if you’d only told me,” she said to him. “I’m not blind to the Circle. You know that.”

“You condone this?” Sebastian interrupted angrily. “The brutal death of an innocent woman of faith, someone you knew! Who trusted you!” Hawke snorted.

“Innocent,” she repeated sarcastically. “Is that what you’d call a woman who turned a blind eye to the suffering of the mages? You act as though I never tried to get her to do anything about it to begin with.” Sebastian looked as though he wanted to say something more, but Anders beat him to it.

“I wanted to tell you,” Anders said, his voice more quiet now. He still wouldn’t turn to look at her; that stung. “But what if you stopped me? Or worse, what if you wanted to help?” Hawke let out a mirthless laugh then. She couldn’t say which she’d prefer to have done, but it still felt like it would have been better than this. “I couldn’t let you do that. The world needs to see this. Then we can all stop pretending the Circle is a solution.” He paused, seeming to steel himself. “And if I pay for that with my life, then I pay. Perhaps then Justice would at least be free.” Hawke felt like someone had stabbed her in the gut with a knife then.

“Anders,” she breathed, closing her eyes against the tears threatening to fall. She stepped over to him, and he flinched as she put her hands on his shoulders. She simply stood there for a few moments, her hands stroking the mussed feathers on his coat before coming up to run through his hair. She pulled out the tie that held it back, and he shuddered as she ran her fingers through the loose locks.

“Just...do it,” Anders whispered, pleadingly.

“You think I could kill you?” Hawke said, a soft laugh coming out of her throat as she pressed her lips to the top of his head. “You honestly think, after everything, that I could, even if I was willing to?” She sighed, embracing him from behind and resting her cheek on his head. “I love you, Anders. That hasn’t changed.” He still didn’t say anything, so she moved her head just far enough to kiss his temple. “Help me defend the mages. Meredith’s not joking, and I need your skill at my side.”

“You mean…stay with you?” Anders asked, his voice hoarse with disbelief. She nodded against his cheek, arms still tight around him.

“Please,” she requested. “Your people need you,” she added with a small smile. He let out a short, incredulous laugh, and finally turned to look at her, taking one of her hands with his own.

“I didn’t think you’d let me,” he confessed. “But if you do, I’ll fight the Templars. Damned right I will!” Hawke grinned at him.

“I hoped you’d say that,” she said, and pressed a kiss to his forehead, helping him to his feet. She turned to find Sebastian almost on top of her, fury all over his face.

“No,” he growled. “You cannot let this abomination walk free. He dies, or I am returning to Starkhaven, and I will bring such an army with me on my return that there’ll be nothing left of Kirkwall for these maleficarum to rule!”

“Mages are not all maleficarum!” Hawke snapped, just as furious as he was. She tolerated Sebastian well enough, but his hard-line views concerning the Chantry and mages were too much for her to handle on a good day. A day like this… “And dammit all, he’s _my_ abomination! Destroy Kirkwall if you think that’s what your precious _Maker_ wants,” she spat. “But you will _not_ harm Anders.”

“I thought I knew you, Hawke,” Sebastian sneered. “I gave up on Starkhaven to serve the Maker, but he has turned his back on Kirkwall for harboring heretics like this. I swear to you, I will come back and find your precious Anders. I will teach him what true justice is!”

“Over my dead body!” Hawke snarled, pulling out one of her daggers. “Your arrow will never reach so much as the hair on his head as long as I’m alive, dear _Prince_ , and I will be happy to resolve this matter right now if you so choose!” Sebastian glared at her for a few moments longer before letting out a yell of rage.

“I will find him, Hawke!” he yelled over his shoulder as he stalked away from them all. “Make no mistake, I will find him!”

“And you’ll find a blade in your heart first!” Hawke yelled after him, seething. She turned to find Anders staring at her in awe. “What?” she asked, perhaps more angrily than was necessary.

“I love you,” Anders blurted out. “I – I know it’s not really an appropriate time – “ he stopped as Hawke started laughing.

“Is it ever?” she giggled, coming back over to him. “I’m still furious with you for lying to me,” she added, though the seriousness of the accusation was lessened with her continued giggles. She wondered if she’d simply snapped and gone mad.

“I know,” Anders said hesitantly. “I’m sorry. I just – “

“Later,” Hawke smiled, taking his hand and squeezing it. “That’s for later. Just be sure not to get yourself killed so I can be sure to yell at you properly.”

“I’ll do my best,” Anders said, her favorite little smirk gracing his lips. “Thank you for my life. I’ll try not to make such a mess of it this time.” Hawke simply continued to smile and shook her head. Maybe she _had_ gone mad.

“We’d all best get to the Gallows, and quick,” Varric interrupted, reminding them that more important things were at hand. “It’s going to be quite a show.”

“Let’s get moving,” Hawke agreed, looking around at everyone. Fenris was the only one who looked completely annoyed, but he still followed her. “We have a day to save.”

**Author's Note:**

> This is one of those scenes I get ideas to write five million different ways with different characters. There's so much to do with it that it's been done over and over, but I hope you enjoy this take on it, anyway.
> 
> All in-game dialogue belongs, obviously, to Bioware.


End file.
